by C. C. Piper
“So, your name is Jessie?” I asked her, and she narrowed her gaze at me as if I had two heads. The fact that my lower head was attempting to swell its way out of my pants like a fucking gopher wasn’t exactly helping me think on my feet here.
“Yes. Is there something wrong with the name Jessie?”
Her tone was challenging. Not the best of signs.
The thing was that “Jessie” did not suit her. Not even a little. She was so enticing and magnetic. A better name for her would’ve been something like Francesca or Alexandria. “Jessie” reminded me of some pioneer woman who lived a tough existence on the frontier or something. Someone who could shoot a shotgun at a marauding bear or pack of wolves. “Jessie” was not this seductive temptress presently sitting in front of me.
“No,” I answered quickly. “Of course not. It’s just …” Why was I fumbling around like fifteen-year-old? I was customarily an excellent communicator, I swear. “You’re so captivating. And while the name Jessie is fine, it strikes me as too plain for you.”
I hoped she’d take this as the compliment I’d meant it to be rather than an insult. For a moment, I watched her, unsure. Fortunately, our server appeared. Since I’d given my date zero time to check out the menu, we weren’t anywhere near ready to order. But I did manage to score us a pot of tea, a couple of waters, as well as a cup of Saki for each of us. Christ knew I needed something to take the edge off.
In the few minutes that passed after that, my date studied the expansive menu. As soon as our drinks arrived, I downed the Saki and asked for another.
There, that was better.
“I’ve never had Saki before,” Jessie said, though she kept her eyes on the list of foods in her hands. She then took a sip, blinking as if it’d burnt her. “God, it’s strong.”
“It is,” I agreed. “Let me pour you some tea.” I took the pot and filled her delicate teacup to the brim. She sipped some, then drank more.
“This is better.”
“Have whatever you want,” I told her.
We ordered a tasting menu, which meant we’d receive a varied selection, then waited for the dishes in silence. I’d had two Sakis but still felt like I was floundering. I’d never felt so out of my element in my life. The only saving grace was that my arousal had diminished with every tense moment we suffered through.
I needed to get the conversation moving again, that was all.
Once the dishes came, it gave me an idea. We’d been given a dozen items to fill our table, almost like our own private buffet.
“How familiar are you with these sorts of foods?” I asked her.
“I’ve had Chinese, of course. Stuff like chow mein and chop suey, but I’ve never tried some of these.”
Yes. Awesome. “Then may I ask you a favor? Can I fill your plate for you? I’m quite good at choosing, and if you don’t enjoy my selections, I’ll keep trying till I find something that you’ll love.”
She smirked at me, as if doubting my ability, and I smirked back. Things hadn’t been going easily between us so far, and I wanted to win her over, even if she’d been hired to please me instead of the other way around. I wondered if this was her first Wish Maker date but didn’t ask. It didn’t matter because as bumpy as things had been tonight, I loved a good challenge.
I loaded her plate and set it before her. She liked four of the five items she tasted on the first go-around, which gave me confidence to choose again for her. She nibbled and tasted the second round, this time liking every bit of it.
“This is fun,” she declared, brushing the corner of her ridiculously plump rosebud lips with the corner of her napkin.
“Glad you’re enjoying yourself.”
“Jessica Isabelle Souza,” she said, tossing me a close-lipped grin, and I raised an eyebrow at her. “That’s my legal name. I’ve always gone by Jessie, though. Ever since I can remember.”
She took a drink of the flowery tea, and once she set her cup down, I captured her hand. Turning her wrist so the underside was exposed, I kissed my way across the tender skin. She shivered noticeably. So, I licked a trail along the same path, blowing on it gently as I stared into her jade green eyes.
“Thank you for sharing. Jessica makes much more sense,” I whispered, and this time she shuddered even more obviously as she let those eyes of hers drift shut in pleasure.
My body jumped to attention again so fast that I felt lightheaded, but I did my best not to show it, offering her a slow grin instead. Christ, I wanted her. And now that our dinner was complete, I would have her.
“You ready to go?” I asked her as a courtesy, and she nodded.
“Yes, I believe so.”
I took her to a five-star hotel. I never dallied with women in my home; I liked to keep my sex life and my home life separate. Still, Jessica was everything I’d hoped she’d be. Passionate. Wild. Willing to submit. She was a dream between the sheets. In fact, she was so good that I left her asleep in the bed the following morning so she could wake up at her leisure.
Jessica almost made me decide to break with my own stringent policy of never seeing any of these women again. She’d been amazing in more ways than one. But that’s simply not how I rolled. Something told me that if I went back for seconds with her, that I’d be back for thirds. And if I went back after that, I’d be in big trouble. If she was this difficult to walk away from now, how could I do it after experiencing more of her?
Better to be safe than sorry. I didn’t have time for a relationship, and clearly, since she was working as an escort for the Wish Maker, neither did she. It’d be best to go our own separate ways.
Still, as I descended the stairs toward the lobby of the hotel, I felt tempted to go back. It was as if she was pulling me back to her. I even paused mid-step, thinking about it. But, no. I’d come to this city to jumpstart my career, not get involved with someone. That’s why I’d hired the Wish Maker to begin with. I didn’t need any romantic entanglements, no matter how awesome the sex was. I had to keep forging my way forward and building on my dream.
So I kept going, even though as my taxi drove me across town, I kept searching for the hotel among the others along the skyline. I felt this bizarre sensation in my chest I couldn’t identify. A hollowness I didn’t know how to explain.
I watched as the hotel vanished behind other taller structures, unable to keep myself from looking back.
5
Jessie
When I woke, I sat up with a start, disoriented by my alien surroundings. For a moment, terror seized my breath. Then, like one of those games where the images go from blurred to clear, my memories from the previous night emerged.
Meeting my date in that extravagant restaurant. The tension that had stayed between us like a roadblock in the beginning. How things had eased over time with the help of some powerful Japanese alcohol. How the tension evolved into something teasing and light. How he’d touched me, exciting me with an intensity and sensuality I’d never experienced before.
How we’d had multiple bouts of sex until the wee hours of the morning.
I thought of what Ashley might say about this if I ever were to tell her and knew instantly. Her soprano voice crying, “Cheese and crackers,” reverberated against my skull, making me snicker to myself.
Cheese and crackers, for sure.
The silken softness of the luxurious two thousand count sheet set shifted against my bare skin, and I sighed. I’d never in my life enjoyed such eroticism or pure ecstasy. I’d become lost to it; to all the things Trevor did to me. I’d been so frighteningly nervous when I’d ambled into that restaurant, and when we hadn’t connected right off the bat, I’d seriously considered fleeing the scene.
I told myself that maybe this was a mistake, and that I shouldn’t do it. I almost ran. But then, something remarkable had happened. Whatever weirdness had plagued us evaporated like mist in the sun, and we’d become drawn together like magnets flipped to the correct side. By the time we’d finished dinner, I’d been so tur
ned on that I feared that my pebbled nipples might show through both my bra and my dress. My breasts had become so heavy that they ached.
Quite literally.
And that hadn’t been the only part of me to ache, either.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and then twisted in the bed. My hand brushed against something that crinkled beneath me. It was a sheet of paper from the hotel stationery. A note.
Jessica,
Last night was incredible. Check out isn’t until noon, so feel free to take your time. Order a room service breakfast on me, if you’d like. I’m sorry I had to dash off before you woke, but it’s always better this way.
Thank you for an extremely pleasurable evening,
Trevor
I pitched forward so that my head plunged into his pillow. It smelled like him. Like musk, and somehow, rain. I breathed him in, allowing myself to memorize his scent, even though it was unlikely we’d ever cross paths again in the future. His note made that clear. Which was good. That’s what I wanted, too. The last thing I had time for in my life was a man.
Even one as scrumptious as Trevor Keller.
I still remembered how he’d looked as he stood for me in Buddakan. While nearly everyone I knew was taller than me, he’d towered over me by a good foot. Still, he hadn’t come across as intimidating. He’d had light brown hair cut in a simple masculine style. An expensive pinstriped suit in charcoal gray with a matching tie. A carefully trimmed goatee that framed one of the most arousing smiles I’ve ever seen on a guy.
But what got to me the most had been his eyes. They’d been deep set but expressive and playful. They’d also been brown, not the dark brown I typically saw, but this lighter, richer color. They’d had this unusual metallic sheen to them, a reflective quality like gold.
They reminded me of the piece of amber Ashley had in her room. She was studying archaeology and had had that amber—with the mosquito trapped inside just like in Jurassic Park—since she was four. I’d never seen anyone with eyes like his. And I’d been sorely tempted to grab his face and study their depths all night.
Which would’ve been ridiculous.
Still, as much as I questioned spending a night with a man for money, I felt okay with it. Trevor had been, hands down, the best lover ever. Somehow, he seemed to sense what I needed, then he’d fulfill that need. I hadn’t expected to receive any pleasure myself last night. I knew what I was there to do, and that it was his orgasms that were important. Yet, he’d gone out of his way to make sure I received just as many climaxes as he had.
Hell, if we were to measure how many times I’d come in numbers, then I received more.
God.
Even now, hours later, my body still thrummed with it all.
I climbed out of the bed, still naked, and hopped in the massive shower. Trevor had spared no expense on anything, that was for sure. I thought about ordering room service like he’d suggested but decided against it. I had a semester and a half of school left so I might as well hunker down and prepare for it.
As I soaped and shampooed up, I thought about another instance when I scrubbed my body after a sexual encounter. I half expected to feel as dirty now as I had then, but I didn’t. What I’d experienced with Trevor had felt wonderful, not upsetting or wrong. And even though it’d crossed some lines for me, it hadn’t hurt. There had been no pain.
I scrutinized my body once I toweled off, looking for any evidence of what he’d done to me. There were no scuff marks around my wrists or ankles. No hickeys. No bruising of any kind. He’d gone from soft touches to something much rougher, but at no point had I freaked out or felt unsafe. He’d checked in on me constantly, which I found surprisingly sweet.
Not to mention so scorching hot I was shocked we didn’t melt the damn mattress.
As I padded from the bathroom to the bed, I saw no evidence of what accoutrement he’d used on me. But I did spot something on the floor. It was a receipt, the kind you might see on an online delivery order. I glanced at the paper. The order had been for two days before, and it’d been for a super supreme pizza with pineapple, eight wings, and a two liter of Dr. Pepper.
I smiled. This felt like an unexpected peek into Trevor’s life. When he wasn’t hiring escorts and banging them against the headboard of a fancy hotel four-poster or going to five-star restaurants, he apparently liked to kick back at his place with some pizza and wings. I liked the normalcy of that.
The man had been such a dichotomy. Gentle and tender yet dominating. Generous and kind, yet also awkward. This receipt amounted to one more clue about this beautiful rich man who apparently preferred to pay for dates rather than simply ask a woman out.
Which was, frankly, weird as hell.
But, whatever. I tucked the slip of paper into my purse. I didn’t know why. It wasn’t like I’d probably ever see him again.
Still.
Ready to get a move on now, I threw on my mandarin dress again. Ashley’s mom had purchased it for me one Christmas, but I hadn’t had a fancy enough event to wear it to until last night. Almost everything else I owned was of the denim, yoga or workout variety.
Straightening my clothing, I made sure I wasn’t forgetting anything. I scanned the room, letting my memories fill me one last time, then I allowed the door to lock itself behind me. I was in such a good mood until I reached the door of my apartment. I changed clothes and settled in to study, but then, I hadn’t been able to concentrate. I kept thinking about Trevor. About the way he’d made me feel. How he’d played my body like a well-tuned violin.
And now, I felt the absence of him like a pang.
I kept going back to my books over and over, but no matter what, my mind still wandered to that hotel bed. Maybe it was the thoughtfulness of his actions with me that were the culprit. I hadn’t anticipated that. I’d believed he’d give me nothing but raunchy, hard, nasty sex, but he hadn’t. He’d been so careful with me, and even when he’d engaged full engines, so to speak, he’d still asked me if I was okay.
But I had to be real. He’d been my client, that’s all. I’d given him what he’d paid me for, and then, he’d left before we’d have to say any unsettling goodbyes. Which was smart of him. Tactful. Considerate.
So why couldn’t I stop thinking of him?
I rubbed my hands over my face, frustrated at my lack of concentration. I went to the sink and splashed icy cold water on my face, then I made myself some dark roast coffee. I was worn out—for obvious reasons—but I’d been tired before. Wrapping up my chaotic hair, I took a few gulps of my coffee and went back to my notes.
I returned to an old technique I knew would work. I yanked out my phone and started a voice memo, reading my notes out loud. Doing this always helped me push through, and since Ashley wasn’t here, I wouldn’t even disturb her. Feeling satisfaction at my solution—as well as from other things—I read on, committing my work to memory.
6
Trevor
“We’ve had the best fiscal quarter all year, and in celebration, I’m informing each of you of your increased individual bonuses,” Lars said, as an intern passed out envelopes.
I opened mine, shocked at the number of zeros I saw. I glimpsed around at my other colleagues. Most of them seemed pleased, a few even wearing expressions I’d have to call smug. Many were grinning to themselves, possibly imagining what they might spend their new increased budget on. For my part, I felt happy, but knew I had to keep going. This bonus helped to make me a multi-millionaire—which was great—but I still wanted that golden ring.
I wanted what my best friend had. I wanted to be a billionaire.
My supervisor began to move on to world interests in the financial market, and I listened with half an ear until I heard him say, “The Deutsche Bank surrendered to Wall Street a few months ago, and our goal is to make sure that all European banks follow suit.”
Surrender. The word ricocheted through my psyche. I’d said that word to Jessica a few nights ago. Or a week ago now. Shit, had it already
been a week?
“Surrender to me, and I’ll make this so good for you,” I’d whispered into her ear. Her black curls had been tickling my face as I’d said them, and for whatever reason, those sweet-smelling strands had called to me like a siren.
Jessica had been one of those rare women who didn’t wear perfume. Her scent had been light, natural, and barely there. Yet, I’d tasted it on every inch of her skin. She’d smelled tantalizing, like honey. How did she do that? Was it a soap she used? A bodywash? Some sort of edible lotion?
“Okay, that’s all I have. Does anyone have questions about anything I’ve gone over this morning?” Lars asked, and I blinked. I’d missed the tail end of this meeting because I’d been preoccupied about my night with Jessica.
Again.
Goddammit. This was getting to be a problem.
“Keller, you all right?” my manager asked me, his eyes boring into my forehead.
“Yes, sir. Sure.”
“Good, because we have an important merger coming up, and I’m thinking about letting you take the lead on it.” He cracked a smile.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah,” he said, putting up a fist for me to bump. I did.
I hadn’t even been with the bank a year. This was a gigantic gesture of trust of his part, and I couldn’t let him down. “I’m honored, sir. Truly.”
“I know I warned you about burning the candle at both ends, but that’s precisely what taking the lead on this will require. It’ll mean long hours and working right through the upcoming holidays,” he told me, his face growing more hesitant, as if expecting me to back peddle. “That going to be an issue?”
“Absolutely not,” I said, undeniably aware of the fact that I was being a kiss-ass and hoping it didn’t come across that way to my manager. But what was worse was what I hadn’t said.
I live to serve. That quip had been on my lips, and I’d nearly said it aloud. I had to learn how to stifle my smartass remarks so I could make a good impression in this job, but the sarcasm remained there just beneath the surface. I wondered if I’d ever grow in prominence enough with the firm to be able to unleash it without consequence.